Fighting stress: No Medication Options for beating stress

Chances are that like almost all of us, you have experienced high levels of stress at one time or another. Stress can be deadly if it is not nipped in the bud. High levels of stress can cause all types of physical and emotional problems, and chances are that if left unattended, can lead to anxiety and can cause long-lasting harm to relationships.

First things first

While it may be tempting to run to the doctor at the first sign of overwhelming stress, the first thing that you really need to do is to identify the causes of your stress. All the medication, all the best intentions, won’t help if you haven’t found the underlying cause. Some stress is short term – caused by a family emergency, a crisis at our jobs or simply holidays.  

Short term stress often can be corrected by allowing enough time to pass for the crisis to end.  However, when stress is a day-to-day issue that we have to deal with, then it’s time to consider some non-medical alternatives.  It’s important to understand however that if your stress isn’t somewhat alleviated by using these techniques, you really do need to see your doctor.

Some thoughts on non-medical approaches

Walking – not only is walking a great form of exercise, but it’s also perfect for beating stress. There are few activities where you can simply zone out and feel like you are in complete control of your mind and your body.  Walk for 15-20 minutes to clear your head when stress builds up and chances are that you’ll return to the task at hand with a renewed sense of purpose and feeling refreshed.

Zone out – turn on your favorite music and just take ten minutes for yourself. Keep in mind that we are living in a 24/7 world and that information pours into our brains at rapid rates and we sometimes just need to think about nothing at all.  When we get too much information, we can feel like we are simply on overload; tuning out with some soft music for ten minutes can help clear the mind and forget about what is bothering us (at least temporarily).

Hobbies help – if you find that you simply have problems winding down completely, consider a hobby. Sometimes being able to do something with your hands allows you to eliminate other worries and concerns and helps relieve stress. Just think about how accomplished you’ll feel when you complete a project and know that you did it yourself.

Exercise – whether your favorite past time is golf or skating, walking or biking, make time for some exercise on a daily basis. Even if it is a small amount of exercise (like walking mentioned above) you allow yourself to focus on something other than what your problems are at the moment.

Remember that stress is a normal part of life for most people. Not everyone has the same levels of stress and not everyone deals with stress in the same manner.  If you are the type of person who allows your frustration and anger to build up, you can find that you have far more stress than those who simply blow up and let things blow over.  You can control your own stress levels without medication, while it may sound overly simplistic, if you take control of your stress, it will never have a chance to take control of you.